Brake-equalizing mechanism



Jan. 20, 1931. c. KoNcmK 7 BRAKE EQUALIZING MECHANISM Filed Jan. 15, 19:50

' Ivwerzfizr:

Charles 113W, :3

Patent ed Jan.

The present invention relates 'tomean s for operating brakes of vehicles and is particular 1y directed toward a structure economlcal-to j make and install, and certainan'df sureof op-f' eration in a satisfactory manner. The 'par- T ticular type of braketowhich the invention is specifically directed is th'atmeansfor slowing orlstopping the movement of a vehicle generally. referred to as four-wheel brakes.

1'6 In such an arrangement, brakes are apf plied to each of/the four wheelsf and 'geng ierally there is. 'a' separate braking-mama, Iiism forea ch wheel. order'to producesafe 4 and sure"braking, it is essentialithat the brakl ing force appliedto the'varioils wheels shall p p bejuiiiformiin order to efii'ect substantially. the

-same' stopping at 'eachiportion of the-vehicle.

2 a I Toithisend' various equalizing mechanisms I l have been adapted andg applied-to brak ng i y: 1 r The present/invention is directed c'ally to an equ'alizing mechanism which will allow a braking folrce to'fbe applied at one vpoint' on the vehicle'and"equally distributed :25

1 ,In order to produce the desired efiect'itis desirable that there be", no rigid connection 1 ,betweenthe mechanismion which the power ffor; operating the brakes is applied and'the atthe brakesfupon eachof the four wheels mechanism which acman applies; the brakes. It is "desirable that when the main operating mechanism on which the power is appliediish moved it shall move the operating mechanism; for each of, the four brakes; but there sh 'onld be interposed means for equalizing or relieving the various movements. To this end the 7 present invention contemplates some such device as a rod which may be moved n any propriate way to cause movement of a device 4'0 which controls the movement ofthe' hrakes themselves. The connection,-'however, be

tween such rod or other,oper ating deyice and the .main operating device is' 'n'ot rigid but such as to allow a restricted or limited free- 4&5 dom of movement between the two mechar nisms. Likewise the devices for operatlng'the. specific individual brakes, while operated and controlled by the main operating mechanism,

' equalize and adjust themselves.

n-ncrnor r, MroHIGA fhssI H. AH'N, QF=DETROI the description.- to "refer to as applied to four-wheelvehlcle, two of thei'rame mehibers ofgwhich are 'marked 10 and: 111m the are loosely connectedthereto s'oth a tsthey may that adjustment at any of these fivepoints 'wholstructure. r V The particular mechanism employed to carry ,outthe' invention is but I-ha've' h llu tra d i zit e a companying: r w ng 1 specific formstheinventioninay taken 'Fig I re 1 aiperspective view o f brake-operating mechanism, a pb'ruon of the frame of alve-v hiclealso being shown. Fig. 2'is'agtransverse verti'calsection of a frame showinganother form of brake mechanism embodying thejinventionf p j far as the present: invention is (con ceriied it is immaterial what: form f o'ffbrake; is employed and; for tha mechanism has been fill'us .ated. It will-be understood; however, that -n1ecl anisii 1,

embod yir g the presentv inventionisadapted wheels oii'the.vehicle. J r r Thebraking mechanism oii the "present-in vention i'nay be applied to any of a variety of vehicles" including automobiles, motor trucks; railway car s', streetcars or tr'ams,car riages, wagons, 1ho rse-drawn vehicles and reason no; brake egos oii'ro'liri mad m g' l and intended inoperation and rise 'tqbeasl-j; a "sociated with snitablebralging.*inechanisn therebeingprovided preferablya separate p braking "imechanism for each; of the four 7 7 the like. Since the invention is of gen l appl cation 1t. has not been shown incomestionqwith any specifie r m-0f mechanism V or vehicle although it may be convenient indrawing. Ro'tatablysupported in the frame Iisia downwardlyprojecting arm;

1s,atransverse 12 at 1onee1j1dff.

- and at the other end is a correspondingly projecting arm 14. The arms 13 and 14 may be made integral with the shaft 12 but it is found convenient to have them separate therefrom but secured'to the shaft 12 so as to'move therewith. The arms 13 and 14 may be held on the shaft by-means of nuts 15.

Preferably the arms 13 and 14' will extend inthe same angular direction from'the shaft connecting rod 18 which extends to one of 12 although this arrangement is not essential to the operation. 'Ihearmsdilv and 14 have .been illustrated as extending downwardly-from the shaft 12 but this arrangementis not ssential. They might extend upi ,wardly; orut v ward the end of the arm 13 is pivoted one any other suitable angle. To

end of a lever 16 which {may beengaged at or about its center by the biturcated end 17 of a the brakes which in the instance shown may. be a brake upon a rear wheel; By means of a similar connection the brake operating rod 19'controlling the operation of a brake at a forward wheel may be pivoted to the upper end ofthe'fioatin lever 16. By this arrangement when the s aft 12 is rotated and the i a arm 13 swung on the shaft as a pivot it will 1 move the-floating lever 16 and operate the twobrake' rods 18 and 19 so as to operate the corresponding brakes equally;

Near the outward end'of the'arm' 14 is pivoted one end of a lever 20 which is engaged at about its middle by any suitable mechanism such as the bifurcated .end 21 connected to an operating rod 22 the other end of which maybe attached to the-primemover operating lever 23. Any suitable arrangement may beemployed for moving the lever 23. In the present instance the lever 23 is illustrated as pivoted at 24 to any suitable portion of the vehicle and'provideclwvith a suitable footpiece 25 which desirably may be located in a convenient position for manipulation by the foot of an operator controlling the movement of the vehicle. r

' At theother free end of'the' lever 20 is shown pivoted one end of a lever 26 to which is connected at about its middle a rod 27 for operating one of the rear brakes. Connect ed near the end of the lever 26 is a brake operating rod 28 which may control the brake on one of the forward wheels. 'The mechanism here disclosed provides for the various operating parts being arranged outside the frame of the vehicle.

The relative points of'attachment on the floating levers, 16, 20, and 26, for the rods 18, 19, 22, 27 and 28, and for the arms 13 and 14 may be varied within wide limits for'producing various desired results and the speciiic arrangements here shown are not essential; 1 V

In Fig. 2 is shown a similar arrangement in which the various parts and operating mechanism may be arranged between the for the swinging of-the upper ends of the lever arms 16,720. and 26 111611121111 supporting cross-bar in, Fig. 2 consists of a shaft 124 carrying thearmS 13 and 14 and may be bent 'u invards as at 29.

In each of the rods 18, 19, may be arranged a suitableadjusting mechanism which is illustrated inythe drawings as a turn-buckle 30 for the purpose of short.

eningor lengthening the various rods. The rods 18 and 19 are mounted on the floating lever 16 so that the movement. of the arm 13 while it will cause movement of the'rods 18 and 19 will allow the amount of movement of the two rods to be adjusted and equalized in accordancewith the demands for uniform operation of the appurtenant brakes. Likewise the rods 27 .'and 28 being mounted on the floating lever 26 provide for equalization of movement between the correspondingbrakes. Since the shaft 12 is not positively operated by the foot lever 23 butis operated through the floating lever 20 which floating lever carries the floating lever 26 itis obvious that provision is made for automatic equahzatlon to produce a substantially uniform brake operation among thefourbrakes of the vehi- Because of th1s lnter-relation of the" -mechanisms for operat ng the brakes, operacle.

tion to adjust any oneor more of the turnbuckles 30 will effect not only'the brake appurtenant to the rod carrying the adjusted 22, 27 and 28 2 turn-buckle or turn-buckles but because of the intermediate equalizing mechanism will appropriately efi'ect all 'ofthe brakes. It may be convenient to perform all of'the adjusting on the turn-buckle carried by the rod 22 but in some instances a turn-buckle on another,

' or more than one, of the rods may be more conveniently accessible and it may be employed ordinarily for adjusting the brakes. While turn-buckles are illustrated on all of the five rods it is obvious that they are not necessaryand any one ormore of the turnbuckles may be omitted.

The turn-buckles and the rods themselves maybe replaced by other equivalent well known suitable devices. V

In one aspect, the invention contemplates a structure in which, between the main operating cross-shaft and one pair of brakes, is

inserted a floating lever while, between the main cross-shaft and the other pair of brakes, 1s inserted ajpair of floatmg levers one of said pair of floating levers being relied on to actuate the main cross-shaft and V 20 operating lever and-L meansextendingin opr posite directions fr0 m= difierent points l onfl v the last named lever for operating'difi'erent V other suitable apparatus may be employed-to I '3 embody the invention; 7' H r a brakes, an operating lever pivoted near one s end toanotherarm, means ata distance for movingthe lever-to turn the shaft, alever being inserted between the main crosseshaft and the floating lever carrying the rods for operating the appurtenant pair of brakes;

The proportions, relative connections and i forms of elements i1lnstrated; a1 1d described r form no portion of the present invention and are not essential thereto. Itiwillbe unlever mo intedlonjsaid lastfmentionedfloat ing lever, and connectionsbetweenj-the third floating leverand a front brake anda rear 3 brake, the front brake-connection'being at- Y 5' Y I tached below the rearbrake connection. 5

derstood, therefore, that itsgeneral aspects I claim as ny invention: 1. r Means for operatingbrakes. comprising a shaft, 'armsrigid with the shaft," a ever pivoted near one end to an arm,'means- -ex V tending in opposite directions from different 7 points on the lever'for operating; difi'erent'j pivoted near one GIlClltO: the free end ofthe brakes. r

2. A shaft, means differentiallymounted I thereon for operating two sets of brakes, and.

means for operating the shaft mounted be-- tween one brake operating means 'ands the, shaft.

" 3; A shaft,

free to move relative tothe shaft, means on the shaft operating-means for e-operating A If another pair of brakesand moving with the means b-ntfreeto.

shaft and shaft operating move relative thereto.

ineans moving free to move. relative thereto for operating a pair of brakes, means for operatlng the shaft 4. Ashaft, compensating means nearfone endfor operatingwa pair of brakes, compensating means nearf'the other end for operating another pair of brakes, and means "as-j f sociated with one of said compensating brakes.

pair of brakes, compensating means .for

operating another pair of "brakes,'and com- P v I p-ensat ng means associated with one of said compensatlng means for operating r both pairs of: brakes together; i

'5. Compensating means' for operating a I means. for operating, the shaft and come pensating the operations ofthe two pairs of I 6. A shaft, separate compensating means for operating two pairs of brakes therefrom,

and compensating-means interposed between A the shaft and one of the first mentioned j means for operating'the shaft.

7. A transversely disposed rotatable shaft, A I

crank arm carried near each end of the shaft, a floatlng lever mounted on each crank arm, connections between one floating lever and a front brake. and a rear brake, the front brake connection being attached above the.

rear brake connection, connections between the other fioatlng lever with means for operating the whole mechanism, a third floating A 275 l A:

0,-; l I l? 

